Life After
by GrEaTmInD1
Summary: Team Arrow tried to move on after what had happened but it had become increasingly difficult for Felicity to let go, she had something important to tell him, she needed him to hear it but will she ever get a chance?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my take on how things would proceed from the awful cliffhanger that we were left with, I don't have a beta so all possible spelling and grammatical errors are solely mine and I hope you guys do forgive me for the very many possible errors.**

**And most importantly… I don't own Arrow or any of the characters in it ….. I am merely borrowing them for entertainment purposes.**

The atmosphere in the lair was dark and gloomy; everybody could probably feel the despair in each other and yet no one could say anything.

There was an eerie silence that had engulfed the lair; all that could be heard was three breaths filled with anguish and dejection. The low buzz of inanimate objects that always filled the lair was absent; she kept staring at empty screens unable to decide the next step.

"We need to tell Thea." Digg's hoarse voice broke through the deafening silence.

"Tell her what exactly?" Roy retorted sharply startling Felicity.

"How long are we going to lie to her?" Digg tried to reason with him, Felicity remained a mute spectator; she was still undecided on whose side to take.

"He had been gone for five years yet he came back alive." Roy bit back challenging Digg.

"Well last time he was not fighting against Ra's Al Ghul." Digg roared. Anger and desperation was evident in his voice. Roy took a step back in fear.

She steeled herself before she could speak afraid that she would give into those angry sobs that were threatening to burst open.

"You think he is dead Digg?" Her voice a shaky whisper. Digg turned to look at her, guilt etched on his face.

"You heard Nyssa Felicity." He was trying to hold himself together, with the absence of Oliver he took over the responsibility to look after these two.

Her emotions that she had so long withheld in consideration to others broke open.

"How can you believe in anything that she says?" She wailed as angry tears poured out.

'Felicity."

"I refuse to believe that he is dead, I know he is not dead digg." Her firm voice resonated through the lair.

"Then let's go find him." Digg gave into hope. He prayed that they find him safe and alive.

"Let's, but where do we even begin?" Roy asked them, how do you start looking for a man who has vanished into thin air? Oliver had been so cryptic about his location.

"We start from the beginning, the place where the duel took place." Digg told them, his stance filled with newly found determination.

_**An hour later…**_

"There you are, seeing you in person have become such a rare occurrence these days." His words may have been harsh but there was no bite in them. Roy looked up from the file he was holding. He had recognized it was her with the click of her heels on the floor.

"And I am so sorry about that." She was truly apologetic. She thought she could carry out her scheduled life and not care that Oliver had gone off to fight one of the deadliest men on the planet, how wrong she had been. As each day passed without any news the more anxious she became, it crippled her.

"I caught this virus and I didn't want to spread it around." Her lies sounded weak even to her own ears. He raised his brow, he was not believing a single word she had said.

"Felicity you don't have to tell me what's going on but please don't insult my intelligence." He reprimanded gently. She flushed in embarrassment.

"So tell me what did you want?" He asked. Ray was not a fool, he had noticed the spark in her extinguish slowly, she had become a shadow of her former self. Her babbling that he found so adorable had seemingly stopped and he had no idea what had caused it.

"What makes you think I want something?" She asked him hesitantly.

"You looked like a woman on a mission when you walked into my office." A soft smile played on his lips. She sighed, there was no point lying to him when she did in fact come here with a request.

"I need the company jet." She told him, she knew it was a big request when she had been such a bad employee recently. A look of contemplation passed over his face, he did seem to be surprised at her request.

"You know it's a bad idea if you are going to use it to run away from me as I would know exactly where to look for you?" He teased her. This got a small smile from her

He got up from his chair to stand in front of her. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes that she had carefully tried to cover with make up. Her clothes that always seemed to hug her curves now hung loosely around her.

"I am going to go look for something." That is the closest explanation that she could give him without revealing anything.

"Would that bring back the old Felicity?" His earnestness made her slightly uncomfortable.

"It would be one step closer to getting her back." She told him the truth.

_**Elsewhere…**_

"I need a couple of days off." He told her, his voice was almost drowned out by the loud music playing. She looked at him skeptically. He was now the manager of Verdant along with Thea it was the only way to be near her without being stalkerish. Thea had shut down any possibility of them getting back together, that had stung him a little but he had promised Oliver to lookout for her. He followed her as she went to check on the newly delivered inventory. The music from the club was heard faintly in the background.

"Have you heard from Oliver?" He decided test the waters.

"I keep getting messages to take care." She bit out angrily her eyes solely focused on the inventory in front of her.

She looked up at him when he stood silently next to her.

"What?" She asked him exasperatedly.

"You are not worried?" He asked her timidly, he didn't want to raise any alarm bells but he needed to know was Digg right? Thea had no idea how much Oliver had sacrificed for her.

"It's what Ollie does, he runs when things get hard just like when the Glades went down, he will eventually turn up." She replied offhandedly. She could have never been so wrong. A sudden desire to jolt her shoulders filled him.

He had been against telling Thea the truth, the guilt would kill her but Oliver deserved better. He would tell her the truth once he gets back and he hoped that there would be some good news to tell her.

_**Elsewhere…..**_

"We are going to bring your Godfather back." He told the giggling child in his arms.

"Yeah that's right." He crooned to Sara before placing her in her crib. The child pouted wanting to be picked up, it amazed him at how fast she was growing up. He played with her till she had tired herself out and fell asleep. He quietly closed the door behind himself.

"She asleep?" He heard Lyla's voice from the kitchen, Lyla being all domestic was one of his favorite things. The gun yielding Argus agent can cook her way into anyone's heart if she wanted.

He walked into the kitchen; she was cooking something delicious that's for sure. She turned to look at him.

"When do you guys leave?" She asked him.

"In five hours, we have to wait till the snowstorm passes through." He told her as he settled down in one of the bar stools.

"Do you think he is alive?" She asked him. He had lost his brother many years ago and the pain was still too raw. Losing Oliver felt the same, helplessness and sorrow filled him. Lyla moved towards him and engulfed him in a warm hug.

"Do you want me to come?" She asked him quietly, he shook his head in disapproval. She was ready to provide support if needed. Oliver was her friend too.

"What does the Argus report say." He had asked her check in if Argus had any information on Oliver.

"Nothing much, he is presumed dead after suffering a fatal stab wound." She hugged him tighter each trying to find solace each other.

"Does Waller know." He knew it was a dumb question but he needed to know.

"She was furious, I have never seen her like that. The league had gotten rid of one of her assets."

"An asset?" A sarcastic smile broke through.

"I hope you find him, there a lot of people who would be just broken if he does not come back."

_**Eight hours later…**_

"Hold on tight, looks like we have caught the tail end of the snow storm." Digg screamed out loud to sound louder than the howling wind outside. She gulped and shut her eyes in fear.

They had switched into a chopper from the base camp, this place was 2,100 feet above sea level and the only way here was this chopper which she hoped would not crash into these tall mountains surrounding them.

The chopper shook violently against the strong winds, Digg jumped onto the cliff effortlessly, she guessed years of military training came in handy now. Digg made a safety line for her and Roy. She held onto Roy with her eyes tightly shut as they made their way to the cliff.

She was going to give Oliver a piece of her mind for making her go through this when she meets him. This was much scarier than jumping out of a moving plane. She peeked through her lashes, it was a steep fall from the cliff she quickly closed her eyes.

"There is a small village 3km east, I hope you find what you are looking for." The pilot called out to Digg.

"Thank you, we will let you know when we are done." The chopper would come pick them up, that was the only way off the mountain unless they were into extreme sports.

"Good luck." The man called out before the chopper roared away from them.

**I hope you guys enjoyed….. Let me know what you think.**


	2. Unspoken words

**This is my take on how things would proceed from the awful cliffhanger that we were left with, I don't have a beta so all possible spelling and grammatical errors are solely mine and I hope you guys do forgive me for the very many possible errors.**

**And most importantly… I don't own Arrow or any of the characters in it ….. I am merely borrowing them for entertainment purposes.**

**A big shout out to my reviewers … you both motivated me to write this…**

This place was so desolate; she couldn't believe anyone could live here. She had worn her glasses, regret filled her as her glasses were quickly covered with frost. She muttered a silent curse under her breath; she was going to be half blind throughout this ordeal.

There was a village three kilometers east of here and that was the only possible shelter Oliver could have found after the duel. She didn't want to believe that he was out here alone and fending for himself in this cold weather.

"I may have found something." Roy called out to them. He was hunched over a few rocks at the edge of the cliff.

"What is it?" Digg moved closer to have a better look.

"Looks like dried blood and a lots of it." He told her glumly.

"It could be anyone's blood Digg, maybe an animal or something." She refuted strongly, she was not going let this deter her. Digg dug around his bag pack for something. He took out cotton swabs and zip lock evidence bags.

"Why would you bring that?" She asked him a little horror struck.

"We can never be too sure." He replied nonchalantly as he collected samples.

"There is nothing out here." He told them. Roy checked the area, he had no idea what he was looking for but nevertheless he surveyed the place thoroughly.

"Let's get going then we don't have much time." Digg led the way to the village. Felicity tried to keep up with them but inevitably she fell behind. Roy slowed down his pace to walk by her side. The cold winds blew harshly making her shiver despite the warm protective clothing that she wore.

It had been more than three hours since they started their journey and yet there was no sign of a village, she hoped that they had the co ordinates right. She trailed quite far behind Roy and Digg.

A thick crunching sound made her look down. Her left foot was caught between two rocks, the men were far ahead to have heard it. She deftly maneuvered her foot out, she had at least sprained her ankle if not completely broken it. Digg would definitely make them turn around and she had vowed not to go back without Oliver. She would have to hide this injury, the cold and adrenalin had made it numb anyway.

Both of them had stopped in front of her, she could see a clearing ahead. She could now see the village that they were trying to find. She avoided putting weight on her left foot. Digg eyed her suspiciously but didn't say anything.

"What next?" Roy asked, he was nervous and a nervous Roy was never a good thing.

"According to Argus there is nothing suspicious about this village just a tribal clan that has been living here for centuries; the tribe leader is Mathias Eder." Digg told them.

"They abhor technology I couldn't even find birth certificates for any of them." She told them, it had frustrated her that she couldn't provide better intel.

"Why would anyone want to live here?" Roy grumbled.

"Keep your eyes and ears open we could very well be walking into a trap." Digg ordered as they made their way into the village. Felicity was sandwiched between the men, she could barely see ahead of her and the ankle was not helping either.

"I thought you would come sooner." A mousy looking man stood before them. He had appeared out of nowhere. He was scrawny but taller than Digg. He exuded an authoritative aura that demanded respect. His voice was thick with an accent.

"Stay back." Digg shielded both of them behind; Roy listened for once and stayed back.

"Who are you?" Digg demanded.

"And here I thought your first question would be where is he?" A devilish smile appeared on the man's face. Uncontrollable emotions took over her when the man's words sunk in, she pushed ahead of Digg.

"You know where Oliver is?" Her voice hoarse to her own ears.

"So his real name was Oliver." The man pondered. Felicity felt her blood run cold, it was taking an immense amount of strength to keep herself upright.

"You said was, was is past tense." Her voice filled with panic.

The man looked at her uninterested in the grammar lesson he was receiving. The young woman in front of him shook in anxiety he pitied her already and he was yet to deliver the big blow.

"The young American died thirty days ago." The world stopped spinning for Felicity, everything around her became a big blur. She could hear Roy and Digg saying something but she couldn't understand what they were saying. This can't be right, he can't be dead.

"You are lying." Roy yelled.

"How do we believe you, who are you?" Digg demanded fiercely.

"I have no reason to lie." The man told them. "I am Mathias Eder, the village leader." He kept on when the trio had fallen silent in front of him.

"If it's true why didn't you contact the authorities." Felicity yelped miserably.

"We don't involve the outsiders." He replied calmly, her whole world was falling apart and yet the man in front of her hadn't twitched a muscle.

"I don't believe it." Roy whispered behind her.

"My son Nico will take you to him." The three were so engulfed in grief that they had failed to notice the young boy standing next to the man. Digg berated himself for losing his guard.

They followed the young boy who seemed no more than fifteen years old, snow crunched beneath their feet as they made their way ahead.

The boy stopped in front of a fresh grave, it was a couple of weeks old.

Digg showed oliver's picture to the young boy. Who merely nodded his head in confirmation.

"We found his body below the cliff seems like he had fallen off." The young boy told them. He handed something to Digg, those were Oliver's possession it was his bag, his clothes that were now coated with dried blood.

Felicity gasped for air, shedding hot tears that had refused to come out until now. Roy looked stunned.

"Father may seem harsh but we waited four days for someone to come looking for him, it happens quite often but the bodies are reclaimed within a day."

Felicity hunched over the grave digging with her bare hands, hysteria took over her.

"We have to get him home Digg, he deserved better than this, he deserves better than this Digg." Her words were broken down by uncontrollable sobs.

Roy engulfed her in a tight hug, he restrained her arms and tried to calm her down. He was rubbing soothing circles on her back she could feel him silently crying behind her.

"He was buried as one of our own; the villagers mourned him for twenty one days." The young boy tried to provide comfort the only way he knew could.

"Thank you." Digg sighed, he was grateful that Oliver had got the burial he more than deserved.

"I need to get out of here." Felicity jumped out of Roy's arms. Her grief had made her forget the injury that she was carrying, she stomped her left foot hard that sent shooting pain throughout her body and next thing she saw was the ground swiftly approaching her.

She groaned, her body felt like she was run over by a truck. She had to blink her eyes twice before she could adjust to the darkness surrounding her, she could she a dim light far away. She was lying on some sort of make shift bed.

"Digg, Roy." She called out cautiously.

She could hear footsteps approaching.

"Are you alright?" Digg crouched near her, he was concerned. He knew she had injured herself yet he let her come along. He should have never let her come along to begin with; no matter how strong she thinks she was he was absolutely certain she was not ready for this.

"Don't scare us like that again." Roy barked. She knew he meant well.

"Yeah, where are we?" She asked them looking around her surroundings.

"Mathias's place." He replied to her. She nodded weakly before lying down again.

"Your ankle is certainly broken." Roy pointed to her feet. Her foot was bandaged well, it seemed to be Digg's handy work. Digg sighed loudly.

"You have bruised ribs, you are very very lucky that you are alive." Digg told her. She realized her right side felt like it was on fire. Nobody spoke of Oliver it seemed like a silent agreement between them.

"I told you she would live, the village medic is never wrong." Nico barged in beaming with accomplishment.

"Father wants to talk to you both." The boy informed them.

"I have your favorite Aspirin, it should help you with the pain." Digg gave her the medicine which she gulped down immediately. She was up for anything that blocked the world away from her.

Digg and Roy were hesitant to leave her alone. Nico offered to sit with her till she fell asleep.

Felicity couldn't take the awkward silence any longer.

"You don't have an accent like your father." She asked him, the boy was sitting beside her bed.

"I hope not mother would be pretty disappointed if I did." He replied cheerfully.

"Your mother?"

"She was British." He supplied, "She came here on one of her expeditions fell in love and married my father."

"Was?" There was that damned was again.

"Don't worry she is well and alive but she left us, she couldn't endure this lifestyle any longer." He replied breezily she couldn't detect a hint of anger or disappointment.

"You didn't go with her?"

"I can't abandon my people I am the next village head and I love my father." He replied. Digg's Aspirin was taking effect, Nico was floating up in the air.

"You should get some rest." She heard Nico's faint voice as her eyes drooped down.

The next time she opened her eyes she was starring into her favorite pair of green eyes.

"It was not aspirin was it?" She asked him.

"No definitely not Aspirin." He broke into a smile, he moved to lie next to her.

She could feel his breath on her, why was this hallucination so real and so painful? She knew she was crying when he moved to wipe her tears.

"Stop crying." He chided her. But more tears poured out.

"You were not supposed to die out here, you were supposed to come back." She buried her face in his chest.

"I can hear your heart beating." She began tracing patterns on the skin above his heart. He hummed in her ears.

"You don't have any battle scars." She pushed him away to look at his face.

"Even in your hallucinations you want me bruised and battered?" He teased, the playful sparkle that she would never get to see again.

"I am so sorry." He hushed her with a soft kiss on her lips, desire shot through her. Can a hallucination do this, it seemed so unfair. She needed more than this, she needed more than just a small kiss.

She pressed her lips firmly against his swallowing his protests until he kissed her back. Fire ignited within her, she latched her arms around his neck and he around her waist, pressing her against him. Warmth coursed through her, broken ankle forgotten bruised ribs forgotten it was just her and him. Her fingers were in his hair and brushing his face, she was completely absorbed by him. She couldn't help the moans and sighs that escaped her lips as he trailed playful nips along her jaw. She broke this ecstasy to look at him, his eyes were clouded with want, color warming his face.

"It's a shame we never got to do this for real." She whispered, uncontrollable tears poured out. He just hugged her tight.

"I never got to say it." She reminded him quietly.

"You didn't need to say it, I already know how you feel." He comforted her.

"I wanted to say it when there was no sword hanging over our heads." She told him. The tears won't stop pouring out.

"You are going to live a full and happy life." He told her steadily.

"I didn't imagine a future without you in it, how do I even begin?" She complained. He kissed her fingertips trying to soothe them. Her hands were a mess with broken nails and dried blood apparently Digg had forgotten about her hands.

"It's going to be hard but I know you can make it, you are one of the strongest people I know."

Her sobs had subsided she was lulled to sleep by the sound of his heartbeats.

"Please don't go, you said you won't abandon me." She mumbled in her sleep.

"I am sorry, I love you." Came a soft whisper, she knew it was going to end but she was not ready to let go.

"Felicity."

"Felicity."

She heard a strange beeping sound, everything seemed too bright. She saw a waving hand in front of her.

"Nurse, nurse she is awake." She heard a distant voice speaking.

Felicity opened her eyes to a very visibly worried Roy.

**Reviews are love ! **


	3. Mirage

**This is my take on how things would proceed from the awful cliffhanger that we were left with, I don't have a beta so all possible spelling and grammatical errors are solely mine and I hope you guys do forgive me for the very many possible errors.**

**And most importantly… I don't own Arrow or any of the characters in it ….. I am merely borrowing them for entertainment purposes.**

It had been three months since Felicity woke up in the hospital. Since then she had learnt to suppress the constant urge to bawl her eyes out and after three month she could finally get through the day without giving into grief that lay buried deep within her. She had learnt to live with the pain, she got back to work and even helped team arrow. Roy had taken up wearing Oliver's green hood, the first time she saw him in it was one of the most painful moments of her life, the same could be said for Roy who felt equally if not more miserable wearing it. The city would never realize the hero that it lost; it would never get to mourn the loss of the hero that defended and protected it. Digg had taken up solace in the arms of his baby girl.

"Felicity?" Digg shook her shoulder, he had roused her from the unpleasant thoughts that clouded her mind.

"Sorry." She mumbled in embarrassment, she had been zoning off while they discussed such important matters. She sat in her chair as the two men were pacing in front of her. The lair still seemed empty without Oliver but it had become more bearable as time passed.

"We need to tell them, it can't go on any longer." Digg told them definitively, they had putting off the inevitable. Roy's face was glum and withdrawn she was sure it reflected her own.

"I know but I am not sure how to tell her." Roy told them, he had been assigned the daunting task of telling Thea about Oliver.

"It would be better coming from you." Felicity assured him, he frowned in disappointment.

"Can't Digg do it?" He protested hesitantly. How does one tell her that her brother is dead _Again_ and this time it was permanent.

"She barely knows me, she is going to need all the support she can get." Digg told him firmly. Roy still held a torch for her, he was scared that this was going end any small chance he had with her.

"You don't know her as well as I do, she is either going to shut me out or bolt." Roy told them, but they realized that there was no way around it.

"I will take Laurel." Felicity announced, she knew the other two's distaste for Starling's Assistant district attorney.

"Do we tell Thea about Oliver being the Arrow?" Roy asked in resignation. He was unknowingly staring at the arrow costume.

"She is a smart girl, she will need answers about her brother's death so tell her everything but keep Malcolm and Sara's death out of it." Digg told him.

"She is going to know I am hiding something." He complained.

"We will cross the bridge when we get there, she needs time to heal before we tell her what a back stabbing bastard her father is." Felicity snarled in anger. The men looked startled at sudden outburst.

How can one do that to their own child? Felicity found her parents much better in comparison to Malcolm Merlyn and that was saying something. He had been the cause for one child's death and had turned his other child into a murderer for his benefit. Thinking about it made her blood boil.

"What do we tell Laurel?" Felicity asked, she was looking at Digg for an answer. Digg looked away from her intriguing gaze.

"The truth, the league of assassins was going to unleash their wrath on Starling city and Oliver offered himself instead." Digg told her, they were tired of lying to everyone around them but this was necessary evil.

Roy went to find Thea, Digg followed him to keep an eye on things and provide Thea proof if she didn't believe Roy.

It had been an hour since she had sent a message to Laurel, asking her to meet.

Laurel had asked her to come over to her place. Felicity stood fidgeting in front of her door; she had to work up the courage to ring her door bell. She didn't know how Laurel would react. She had considered asking Laurel to meet at the lair but it held bad memories for her, it seemed a bit cruel to ask her to come there.

She steeled herself and rang the bell. She could hear footsteps approaching the door, she felt her heart wildly thrumming against her ribcage. Laurel opened the door, she had sensed something was wrong the minute she got Felicity's message. Felicity could see suspicion in her eyes.

Laurel was finally getting over Sara's death, Felicity felt terribly guilty. Life was hard for Laurel Lance, you need not be a fan to see that.

"Come on in." She invited Felicity in, who steeped in apprehensively. They both walked to the living room silently, food packets lay open on her coffee table. Felicity had interrupted dinner time.

"Would you like some." Laurel offered politely but Felicity didn't think she would be able to keep any food down.

"I am good." She mumbled.

They sat down on the couch, she didn't know how to begin but laurel beat her to it.

"It's Oliver isn't it?" She cut right to the chase, she was slightly aggravated.

"How.. why..?" Her suddenness had Felicity backtracking.

"The only reason you are here instead of him, something happened?" Laurel was scared, her instincts were rarely wrong.

"Oliver…. Oliver…" Felicity gulped away the emotions that were threatening to come out. "He was killed." She finished, her voice barely a whisper.

"It can't be….. It can't be." She growled. She stood up moving away from Felicity trying to put distance between them, she paced in front of her.

"You are lying." She accused, she was in terrible agony. But one look at Felicty's face told her that the blond wasn't lying.

"I wish I was." Felicity told her regretfully. Laurel collapsed on the floor beneath her. Her eyes were shallow pools filled with tears.

"How?" She asked meekly.

"The league killed him." Felicity explained, she tried hard to be strong for Laurel. She had to hold it together till she can get out of here.

"But why?" She let out an anguish wail.

"They were going to kill random people from Starling, Oliver offered himself instead." Felicity told her. This was the only explanation she could come up with without giving away too much.

"The arrow rounded up a drug cartel last week." Her voice colored with disbelief.

"It was Roy." She told her remorsefully.

"Always playing the hero." Laurel let out a bitter laugh. She got up to face Felicity, "And you didn't try to stop him?" She asked her menacingly. Felicity was stunned by her sudden change of emotions.

"And here I thought you had feeling for him." She asked Felicity enraged. Those words cut felicity deep, the ache threatening to consume her. She gasped loudly, those words knocked the wind out of her sails.

"I know you are hurting and you are lashing out, I will be your punching bag tonight." Felicity offered stubbornly. She was ready to bear any scathing words that came out of Laurel. Just for tonight she vowed she would bare anything she threw at her.

The other side Roy didn't fare any better, Thea had destroyed the bar at Verdant. Roy had the sense to wait for its closing before telling Thea. He carried her to her newly bought apartment. He ended up keeping vigil over a sleeping Thea.

_**Three months later…**_

She was waiting for Digg and Roy to return to the Lair, today they had successfully busted a human trafficking ring. She had made the call to captain Lance giving him the location of the warehouse. She needed to see them back safely before she could head home. She heard the door open and shut, but the footsteps were all wrong. Her back stiffened in alertness she reached for the gun that Digg had insisted that she keep on herself.

She saw Laurel walk in.

"You scared me." She let out a sigh of relief.

Laurel threw up her hand in mock surrender.

"I didn't mean to." Laurel told her regretfully, Felicity drank in Laurel's appearance. She was dressed fully in black leather, her look was completed with Sara's jacket. This was bad, Laurel was trying to emulate her dead sister.

"I need your help Felicity." Those words sounded so ominous to her ears.

"Alright, what exactly do you need?" She asked her hesitantly.

"Mathew Hankel a low life drug dealer, the ropes are tightening around him and the word is, he is fleeing the country tonight." She explained.

"I'll get Digg and Roy on it." She turned towards the screen ready to run facial recognition for Mathew Hankel.

"No." Laurel's loud protest startled her. She turned to face her, she could feel anger and frustration vibrating off of her.

"He is mine, I want to be the one who takes him down." She growled in anger.

"You can't be serious." Felicity was filled with disbelief.

"Try me." Laurel snapped.

"You want to be a vigilante now." She asked her with hints of skepticism; she needed to calm the brunette in front of her. It would be a disaster letting her go after those scumbags.

"Ted has been training me months now, I am ready for this, I can do it." She tried to convince her but Felicity's resolve was not to be shaken.

"You are doing it for all the wrong reasons Laurel." She tried to reason with her.

"Then tell me the right reason Felicity, this anger inside me is burning me inside out I feel like it is going to consume me." The fierceness scared Felicity a little. She was like a caged animal rearing to be let out. She was desperate, she needed someone to understand her.

"Roy and Digg can help you." She told her, she had hoped to stall her until the boys got here. Hopefully they would have better luck in calming her down.

"So can you! I need you to be my eyes down there. I am doing this with or without your help. But with you there are less chances of me turning up dead." The sarcastic smile on her lips was not a welcome sign.

"Is this a suicide mission?" She asked meekly.

"God no, I certainly hope not. I need you to help me please." Nothing she said or did would deter Laurel, she needed a new plan.

She decided to call in Roy and Digg as soon Laurel left, they would intercept her and knock some sense into her.

"You go with me, you will stay in the car." Seemed like Laurel had read her mind. She was exasperated with the brunette. If she turned her down, Laurel would do this alone and most likely get hurt.

She thought of Captain Lance for a minute, she gave in with a growl and followed the brunette out. She had managed to sneak a message to Digg and Roy; hopefully they would get to the port where she had tracked Hankel before them.

Unfortunately Digg and Roy were nowhere close to the port when they got there.

"There are eight heat signatures, they are right in front of you in hundred meters." She told her false directions intentionally keeping her away from Hankel and his goon.

"Digg you need to hurry, I can't stall her anymore. She is going to figure out that I am feeding her wrong intel." She whispered, she was trying not to panic. She had no idea how to deal with a reckless Laurel.

"You should have thought of that before, we are ten minutes out." Digg's angry voice resonated in her ear.

"You can berate me later, now please get here faster."

"Hold on tight, we are almost there. I have called in Captain Lance for you." Digg assured her.

She had been tracking Laurel, somebody seemed to be following her. Laurel had not picked up on being followed. Her body reacted before her mind she was racing in Laurel's direction.

She saw Laurel successfully disarm him, they were trading in blows. Laurel seemed to have the upper hand here. She was so caught up with the fight in front of her, she hadn't noticed someone creep up behind her. Instinctively she threw herself in front of Laurel when the shot rang out.

She hit the concrete with a heavy thud. Her shoulder felt wet, she knew that it was her own blood soaking it. She heard police sirens coming from a distance. The men had quickly scuttled away. She saw Laurel running towards her.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! You are shot." She could feel her fear. Laurel moved her head in her lap.

"I told you to stay in the car." She scolded in horror.

"You need to get out now." Felicity whispered faintly.

"I can't leave you." She yelled.

"I am fine it is a through and through. The police are here, they'll find me, go, go now." Felicity mustered all her strength to push her away.

"Go please." She whispered.

She could see Laurel's retreating figure. Is this how all would come to an end? She opened her eyes, everything was blurry. A figure loomed large over her.

"Oliver." She whispered.

"You are hurt." He deadpanned. Oh how she longed to hear his voice. Content filled her.

"You need to put pressure on the wound, it is bleeding too much." He reprimanded gently. He removed the scarf wrapped around her neck and used it to put pressure on the wound.

"It's just like New moon." She noted wryly.

"Felicity you need to keep your eyes open." He commanded.

"Felicity"

"Felicity" The way he said her name. She sighed as she gave in to exhaustion.

Someone was holding her hand, they were running soothing circles on the back of her hand. And suddenly she felt cold, she opened her eyes it was dark. She groaned, she had landed up in a hospital once again. She saw Laurel curled up in a couch, she looked exhausted. The chair next to her was empty. Roy walked inside the room with coffee; the smell of it awakened her senses.

"You know I am sick of seeing you in a hospital bed." He chided her gently as he came to sit next to her in the chair.

"Where were you?" she asked him her voice hoarse and raspy.

"I ran down to get coffee." He explained.

"Was someone here when you left?" She demanded.

"Just her." He pointed to Laurel.

"Roy can you get my tablet? I need to hack into the security cameras in here." She told him, she needed to know for sure that she was dreaming.

"Did someone come in?" Roy asked his body ready and alert for a fight.

"No I am just testing a theory, can you get it please." She begged him.

"I will make you a deal, I will get you the footage of the cams in here but you can look into it only when you get home." Nothing she said would shake his resolve; she didn't have the energy to fight him on it. She gave in to his deal with a sigh.

**Any feedback would be appreciated!**


	4. Intrusion

**This is my take on how things would proceed from the awful cliffhanger that we were left with, I don't have a beta so all possible spelling and grammatical errors are solely mine and I hope you guys do forgive me for the very many possible errors.**

**And most importantly… I don't own Arrow or any of the characters in it ….. I am merely borrowing them for entertainment purposes.**

Her shoulder throbbed in pain, unknowingly she had been massaging her right shoulder for the past five minutes striving to gain some relief. She was so absorbed with the screen in front of her she barely heard her name being called multiple times. She realized that she was moving a split second later. Roy had pulled her chair away from the screen in front, physically separating her from the object of her affection. She shot him a scathing glare but he just shrugged it away. Only then did she realize that everybody in the lair was eyeing her with exasperation even Laurel the newly inducted member of the team.

"Felicity we have been trying to get your attention for the past ten minutes." Digg chided gently but she couldn't help but notice the irritated look that the other two were currently wearing. She flushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry I can sometimes get like that." She offered feebly.

"You need to rest it was only a week ago you were lying in a hospital bed." Digg reminded. She saw Laurel grimace.

Laurel had been filled with guilt, she had apologized multiple times to her yet whenever her recent stay at the hospital was brought up she saw her flinch. It had been more scarring for Laurel than for her even though she was sporting the visible one.

Roy and Digg were less forgiving than her but they had agreed that Laurel was a ticking time bomb and without anybody by her side she would most likely get killed, Captain Lance had lost one daughter too many albeit he did not know that yet. They both had agreed to let her train with them and she would be let on the field when they deemed fit. Laurel had grudgingly agreed to their offer.

"I have to go, I am having dinner with my father." Laurel told them as she pulled on a jacket over her training clothes. Digg silently nodded at her. She took off promising not to venture off alone.

"Speaking of dinner I'll go get us something to eat." Roy offered, he had an appetite that put even the biggest foodies to shame. Felicity sat on her chair cleaning the arrows she put them neatly back in their slots, she needed to something to distract to her. She had pried herself away from her computers; she knew that the dangerous path her thoughts were taking would someday destroy her. With Roy and Laurel gone the lair seemed eerily quiet.

She couldn't escape Digg's inquisitive gaze any longer.

"Are you going to tell me what's bothering you? Or do I have to pry it out of you." Digg finally asked, he was worried about her. She was different somehow, he couldn't pin point what it was and that troubled him.

"Am I that transparent?" She gave him a small smile turning in her chair looking away from him. She started cleaning the next batch of arrows.

"I wish you would just confide in me." Digg told her, his voice carried a hint of worry and desperation. She put down the arrow and turned to look at him.

"You would think I am crazy." She whispered, she was shaking which didn't go unnoticed by him. She rubbed her forehead; she could feel a headache building.

"Nothing you say will make me think that." He assured her, he could sense how troubled she was.

"There was someone in my hospital room that day Digg." She told him stubbornly, she knew what she saw was impossible but her instinct and her heart were at war with her head.

"Felicity all of us have gone over the video footage a hundred times, the video was not looped it was not tampered with…" He explained, she had gone over the footage a hundred times herself.

"I know what I saw and felt Digg." She yelled a little louder than necessary startling him.

"Alright let's just say there was someone in your room, who was it Hankel? Or one of his men?" he asked her gently trying not to spook her.

"Oliver, it was Oliver Digg." She said, tears of frustration rolled down her cheeks. Digg was stumped. He never thought that she would delude herself to avoid the pain that the Vigilante's death has caused her.

"Felicity." He scolded. He was pacing trying to gather his thoughts. She spoke before he could.

"You couldn't possibly tell me anything that I haven't told myself before." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She stood up clutching her head in her hands. She continued.

"I saw him at the port too, he was with me after Laurel left." She told him, trying to convince him that she was not lying.

"You lost a lot blood that day." He tried to reason, he cannot have her going down this road it was self destructive.

"I felt his warm hands, I felt his breath on my face and he was the one who put pressure on my wound." She finished pensively.

"Felicity you were alone and unconscious when they found you, they weren't even sure if you were breathing." He admonished, he wanted to shake her shoulders till she gave up this delusion. He would not let her fade away into darkness.

"It was not a hallucination." She screeched, she knew she did not dream him up.

"Felicity, me and Roy made sure it was Oliver that was buried there back in the village." He told her gently trying not to agitate her anymore. Her legs gave out and she landed on her chair uncomfortably.

"I can feel him always watching me Digg, why is that?" She asked him sadly.

"I thought you had accepted him being gone." He crouched before her chair, looking into her eyes. He could see so much pain in them.

"I did then I saw him." She finished angrily.

"I promise we will get through this." He promised her, he held her in a comforting hug and let her sob away her sorrows.

_**Two months later….**_

It was Laurel's first time on the field and here Felicity was a nervous wreck. Last time Laurel had been on the field it had landed her in a hospital. She just hoped this time it ended without any bodily harm to her boys or Laurel herself. They had been tracking a man named Thurston Keane, he and his men were planning an attack on starling city and today they were going to smuggle nuclear weapons inside the city. They had needed as much man power as available. This man was dangerous, he wanted to destroy anything government, he reveled in creating chaos and panic. She was at the Verdant bar getting a glass of wine to calm her nerves. Thea had closed the club today and left her the keys for which she would be forever grateful.

It was Thea's birthday today, she didn't want a big affair so Roy threw her a small party right here. She walked to the table that still held the remains of Thea birthday cake. She helped herself to some cream.

Suddenly a cold chill went through her, she felt hairs at the back of her neck tingling. She realized she was not alone in the lair. Where was her gun when she needed it? She cursed internally. She had never thought there would be intruders in here. She did not have any means to defend herself with; she stealthily tried to move towards the exit.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! I wouldn't do that if I were you." A menacing voice called out behind her, why did it sound so much like a madman she once knew? She stilled her movements; she was determined not to give in to fear.

"Turn around sweetheart shooting in the back is not quite my style." He droned on his rubbish chatter. There were two of them and both of them were armed. The man speaking to her seemed to be in charge and the other his henchman.

"Who are you?" she asked him bitingly.

"Oh! How rude of me, allow me to introduce myself I am Eeden Zytle and he is lackey." He was happy with his introduction; she couldn't help but scoff at his ego and his complete lack of regard for anyone but himself.

That crazy smile on his face scared her more than the gun in his hand. She had seen this kind theatrics before and the name Zytle rang a bell, her eyes widened in realization it was the count's brother.

"You know don't you? See I told you lackey, she is a smart one." He mockingly told the henchman who in turn nodded at him emotionlessly. She silently inched backwards until she reached the bar counter; she knew Digg would realize that something was wrong when he didn't hear her voice through comms.

"What do you want? How did you find me?" She spat in anger, she was tired of all these bullies.

"We hacked your phone; you didn't think you were the only one who knew how to hack." He acted as if that question had mortally wounded him. She was glad that she was at verdant and not in the lair, she sighed in relief that the lair was not compromised.

"What do I want? What do I want? Three arrows in you." He inched closer to her trying to intimidate her, she was determined not shake or cow away. She would not give him satisfaction of that.

"Just like your boyfriend put three arrows in my brother." His henchman now stood next to the door incase if she tried running. Both men couldn't see what was happening behind her back. She moved her finger deftly behind her back trying to get to her phone, Digg was number two on her speed dial, Roy three Captain Lance four and Laurel five. She just needed to unlock her phone and press a button. She cursed herself for not setting up a panic button; with her meticulous setting of the lair she had failed at the security for verdant. She pressed the number.

"My team would be here any second now." She bluffed, she had successfully unlocked her phone.

"Oh give us some credit please, According to my men he is chasing Keane on the other end of the city." He snapped, a part of her was relieved that the switch in men who wore the hood had gone unnoticed by any. The madman was unaware that Oliver was the one who killed his brother.

She knew Captain Lance was listening in, he was the only one who could get here on time.

"We are in Verdant, it is a busy place. You won't get away with this." She retorted, she had successfully given away her location to Captain Lance but she needed to get out of here for him to ever find her alive.

"I have been planning this revenge for so long, imagine his surprise when he come home to find his honey killed just like by brother." He let out a psychopathic laugh.

"How did you know it was me?" She questioned him trying to buy some time, he eyed her with disdain.

"I'll enlighten you, he sent a picture of number fifty, you and after that he died. It took ages for me to find you until I saw the newspaper yesterday." She really wanted to swear, she had made front page for her alleged relationship with Ray Palmer.

Just then he got a call. She could hear only bits and pieces of the conversation. She knew it was about her team, they were still engaged with Keane.

She desperately needed a distraction; she cannot run towards the lair that would compromise its location she needed to head towards the eastward exit that only employees knew about. It looked like her time had run out. After what seemed like

"Any last…" They were engulfed in darkness before he could finish. She knew this was her opening and she ran like Digg taught her to. She heard shots fire out behind her but she focused on getting out. Thank the lord she had worn jeans and panda flats today.

Luckily for her Captain Lance was already out in the alley with his unit, she ran right into him. He had shot down the henchman but the count's equally psychopathic brother had managed to evade the cops. She had called Digg to alert him, there were cops swarming at Verdant.

Captain Lance had pulled her aside from the detective who looked ready to grill her some answers.

"Who was he?" Captain Lance asked her in a hushed tone he didn't want anyone overhearing their conversation.

"The count's brother and his goon." She explained.

"Why are they after you?" He asked probing her for an answer. She wrapped the blanket tightly around herself; all she wanted was a hot shower and a steaming cup of coffee.

"The Arrow killed the count trying to protect me." She told him softly, she was shivering and it was not because of the cold.

"Jesus!" He swore colorfully. "Does he know who the Arrow is?" He demanded.

"I don't think so." She answered hesitantly.

"What were you doing here?" He asked her.

"I was cleaning up after Thea's birthday party." She fed him the perfect lie.

"How did you manage to get out?" He asked her intrigued.

"I took advantage of the blackout." She told him calmly.

"What blackout? There was no blackout." He told her.

"Did you cut the power?" She asked him puzzled.

"No, we were just thinking of a strategy when you ran out." He chuckled.

"I guess the fuse blew at an opportune time." She convinced herself.

"He escaped, you do realize that now you are a target." He told her glumly, she nodded her head in understanding. She saw Digg and Roy walking towards her in casual clothes, she was embraced in a warm hug by Digg. Things were spinning out of control.


End file.
